storms.

Well, I would like to report that I drove to work in the worst of the storm this morning. I should have known better than to leave the house when the thunder was rolling like it was and I really should have gone earlier before the skies broke loose but I didn't. At least it was exciting?  It took me about 3 different routes to get where I needed to go because of downed power lines, tree limbs, etc. but I decided that since I was on the way that I should go ahead and get there. Apprently it is a good thing that I did because I just missed some really, really bad winds - a possible tornado touching down - not far from here and I probably would have been pretty freaked out to be at home alone. I was so focused on driving slowly and safely and getting to my office that I didn't have time to think about all the bad stuff happening around me!
No power at the office means that we closed for the day and after sitting around to ensure that the worst of that prt of the storm is over, I just got home. We lost about a third of the big beautiful shade tree in our backyard but it doesn't appear that anything hit the house. We will have quite a bit of cleaning up to do once this is all over but so far, we are doing OK. We even have power here which is apparently rare in Chattanooga at the moment. However, round #2 is coming in this afternoon - the clouds are already building and the wind is picking up so it looks like we will have a bit more to weather.

these days.

Sorry it’s been a while – life just jumped right back on top of me with barely a weekend in between. We spent half the day Saturday running errands – 45 minute drive one-way to pick up some bee supplies (our bees are too busy!), picking up car things, etc. – and then the second half was mostly spent working at the house. I mowed the front yard (oh yes! Push mower all the way…but only because I agreed to do it in my sleep. No lie.), Chad cleaned up and replaced some parts on the tiller (‘twas my grandpa’s – oil hasn’t been changed since he did it. Oh, about 12 years ago probably.) We also got to go on a date – with Miller and Chad M. – does that count? Saw “Adjustment Bureau” at the cheap seats. Worth the $2 each – more of a romantic story than I thought it would be – but interesting and well-done (and Matt Damon just might make my heart go pitter-patter).


Sunday was quite a bit more eventful. We borrowed Chad’s older sister’s truck to take the tiller back to my sister in the ATL. We got most of the way there (read: in downtown Atlanta at the 75/85 split) when a tire blew out. Fabulous. So Chad – the wonderful, manly, brave soul that he is – changed it right there on the side of the interstate with folks flying by at 70 MPH. Speaking of my heart going pitter-patter…I was super nervous for him. We had a nice visit with friends, family, and folks at my sister’s house for Easter once we finally got there (was that us that showed up an hour late? Please forgive!). and a wonderfully uneventful drive back home. Whole weekend gone at that point. All the kitchen cleaning and living room organizing we did on Saturday is pretty much over now…I have big dreams of cleaning up some more tonight. Small group tomorrow night. Work Thursday night. Work all day Saturday at camp. I guess tonight is my chance!

Also, I lost my keys. My car keys and house keys and office keys. I had them Friday when I went to the gym (my little “Get you in the door” scan car is on them) and then I couldn’t find them yesterday. And I got up this morning in a panic and couldn’t find them again. And I forgot to pack breakfast or my lunch because I was looking for my keys, it was hot in our house, and I kept getting more and more cranky. I might have been rude (ok, I was.) to my sweet husband who was trying to help me find my keys. So, publically – I’m sorry! I found them. In my gym bag. At the bottom. After I left the house with the spare keys. And I was late so I didn’t go back in and apologize. And I should have. I didn’t even kiss him goodbye. He will get extras tonight.

more pictures!

We took a tour of the inner workings of the Biltmore Winery which was pretty cool to the beer brewers around our house. The process is basically pretty similiar but - oh boy - we would love to have their kind of space and resources!

We also did the Red Wine and Chocolate tasting. For a girl that doesn't like red wine, I thought it was pretty delicious - though I agree with my mom that the chocolate was the best part by far! The wines were decent (though I liked the sweeter, less dry varieties we tried later in the day) and the little tour guide was interesting and informative. A recommend.  

 There are folks I love hiding in this picture...I've pointed them out to you.

More fabulous orchids. A stroll through the greenhouse and gardens is totally worth it.

 Oh dear me, how I love this guy. I love to travel with him, stroll the gardens with him, eat great food with him...glad he went on this trip. I'm such a sap.

 Weirdo fancy flowers. Like 'em.

More tulips - again totally worth the entire trip. House is always interesting. Gardens were worth the drive and the overpriced ticket price.

finally!

 Since my mom loves a good gargoyle, I thought I would start out with such...I took lots of pictures of those while at the Biltmore. She will probably see them in her Christmas calendar. And by the way, you are not supposed to take pictures inside the house. And I took this one out a window on the 3rd floor. Does that count?

 Love him! 

 They had this long walkway that was covered with an arbor and had tons of wisteria vines growing on it. Smelled delicious and looked amazing!

 This is around 1/8th of the tulips we saw that day...they were in glorious full bloom. Totally worth the trip! The roses will be coming on next and would be worth another trip, in my opinion!

 F & F - payback for hacking my blog. Though this is actually a good picture (minus the stranger in the background) so I guess it isn't paying much back after all.

 They had flowers planted in the neatest places - bicycles, suitcases, etc. Inspired me to bring in the trash to my back yard and flower beds!

.

 

Chinese lantern flowers or something. I need these in my yard. NEED

 I was also in orchid heaven. An entire green house area dedicated to pots and pots and pots of orchids. Beautiful!

Loved the trip with my family. It was fun to get away and see pretty things...

Gotta go eat dinner and make cupcakes. Maybe I can load more pictures while they cool, per the original plan.

it is coming.

A post of beautiful N.C. pictures is coming, I promise. I got them all off my camera this morning (when I skipped the gym in favor of sleeping in - though I will have to go this afternoon). But I don't have time to go through them and figure out what is what and which ones are worth waiting through the painfully long upload time. Hopefully it will go quickly and you will get to see a bunch of them.

Busy day today...I MUST finish the script/speech/thing I have been working on. It is due tomorrow and I have another one to write before then. One that is longer. Lunch with a friend/volunteer, pick up Jessica's graduation/birthday present (shh...don't tell), make cupcakes tonight. Tomorrow is our Girl Scout Volunteer/Customer Appreciatin day at the store. Want a cupcake? Become our customer or volunteer and you can have as many as you want! :)

Good small group last night. We are all a little unsure of this video series we started last week - partly because of the rather strange presentation and partly because there are many parts of the topic that a majority of us seem to disagree with. However, it creates some really great discussions - last night was no exception - so if nothing else, we are definately getting something positive out of it. It is fun to be in a group with other couples who all have different personalities, been married different lengths of time and with different life experiences. I think it helps to create a really good melting pot of thoughts, ideas, theories, and just shows how our relationships with a Heavenly Father can all be so different and good at the same time.

Pictures tonight while the cupcakes cook and cool.

lost mojo.

I am working on a script for an awards ceremony for work and I think I have lost my writing mojo. Once they found out that I have a minor in professional writing, they have asked me to write a couple of things – for which I am honored! I really love to write…however, I never really realized that it was a skill that you had to keep sharp or it would become more dull over time, like speaking a foreign language. I feel like I can’t write like I used to…


Where can I find my mojo?

Hacked!

Someone left her blog open on her sister's computer, so her sister is dropping in to say how much fun she had with P and C and F and F in Asheville, exploring the gardens and the house and the winery at Biltmore and playing ping pong and eating way too much. I love you guys and miss you already and wish we were much closer.  F#3

Biltmore.

A day at the Biltmore = one tired girl.

We did the entire house tour, the gardens tour, and the winery tour. And now I am exhausted.
I took a ton of pictures so hopefully when I get home and back to my computer I will post pictures for you.
Back to Chattanooga tomorrow...

hello asheville.

We (my sweet Chad and I) arrived in lovely Asheville yesterday afternoon and met up with my sister, my mom, Frannie, and my great-aunt Connie. We settled in out beautiful cabin (no seriously, more on that later...) and headed to the Grove Park Inn for dinner last night. It was beautiful evening, sitting on the back porch watching the rain come across the mountains. We are headed to the Biltmore today - and I am prepared for sore, tired feet. We are touring the house, the gardens, and the winery this afternoon. I am pretty excited...I was in 5th grade last time I was here with grandparents that are no longer with us. We shall make more good memories today. I have my camera so hopefully there are pictures to come...gggg (Chad says hello)ffff

my grain update.

A short update on the My Grains….


I went to see the neurologist yesterday afternoon and he seems to be under the impression – after poking, pushing on my head, looking deep into my eyeballs with his super bright light, and testing my reflexes and letting me almost kick him in the shin – that I just have migraines. Frankly, it is actually a good diagnosis. It isn’t additional bad news and I already know how to treat and deal with them. So, basically no news is good news. Sparing you the details, he is increasing a medicine I currently take for my head and also gave me some samples of things to take when I get a bad one. Sadly, the bad part about these painful headaches is that a migraine is a diagnosis/a disease, not really a symptom of something else; they also tend to change over time (i.e. more frequent or less, different places, pain feels different, etc) so he believes that this concurrent headache was just an alteration of the original migraine diagnosis. Some people just get them and some people don’t. It is sort of a bummer that I had to go through 4 doctors and a CT scan for them to tell me what my regular doctor said a year ago but no news is good news in this case!

Thank you for all your prayers and thoughts. I truly feel surrounded and loved!

i lurve saturdays.

It is going to be a good Saturday. I am working in the house with all the windows open (it's already quite warm and humid here!) and Chad is outside with the rented stump grinder. No lie. The neighbors and Chad (notice I am not including myself here!) decided to rent a stump grinder and take care of some nasty little stumps in both of our yards. I guess they figured - and correctly so - that we both needed it and we might as well share the cost of renting it for the day. So, they are out there grinding themselves silly and sweating all the while. I am cleaning up in the house today - hanging things out on the line to air out, changing sheets, folding laundry, putting up dishes.

Then tonight - drumroll please - I might get to go on a date with my sweetie. Super excited.

Also, please note that I take back all the nasty things I have been saving about the federal government, mainly the IRS. I did not actually think that the government would shut down, mostly because they can not imagine the hell I would have raised had they actually allowed that to happen. Not only would my congressman have gotten an earfull, the entire congress would have. From me. Personally. Anyway, I was freaking out a bit because we had to file out taxes on paper this year, since we bought our house and were waiting for that stimulus business to help us purchase a car. If the IRS had shut down and delayed my gratification, I would not have been happy.Either way, we got our refund yesterday - in what felt like "just in the nick of time".  So, thank you Congress for getting your act together, showing off your muscles, playing around with my heart, and finally coming to some sort of bizarre agreement. ::sarcasam, drip, drip::  Sorry, couldn't help myself.

paragraph problems.

I am trying to fix the problem I have been having with not getting paragraphs in my blogs.

Have you noticed it too?

updates.

I did not have a headache Monday or Tuesday or much of one today. For those of you that are paying attention, that is cause for a major celebration. Like dance a jig, sing a hallelujah chorus sort of celebration. My appt. with the neurologist is next Monday and I think I just might make it now... On another note, I have a sort-of-big job decision to make and I am slightly stressed out about it. I am NOT leaving the Girl Scouts but the position I currently have is sort of melting out into 4 different positions (that sort of tells you how much I have had on my plate this past year!). I have a choice about which of the 4 positions I am most interested in persuing and I am really struggling with the decision. Do I do what makes me happy/is most enjoyable now or the job that will benefit me most for the future? Where can I make the biggest difference? What is the best choice for me? So, please pray that I will make a wise, well-thought out, prayed over decision...

no fanfare.

I passed 700 posts with no fanfare - not even a mention. Must be the headache. Apologies! #1. Why won't Blogger let me put paragraphs in my blog?!? It is driving my limited English sensibilities quite mad. #2. We need groceries. BAD. Like really something serious. There is no lunch food here - packing lunches tomorrow won't really be an option unless a visit to the grocery store is made. However, I am suffering through day 12 of this headache and Chad just left for a fire and I just don't know that I have it in me to go to the grocery store. Update is that my CT scan results came back in on Friday afternoon and they say all is normal. 99% of me is thrilled to hear that there is nothing serious going on in my head that was unseen up to that point but the other 1% was hoping it would be something super obvious (not something terrible mind you, just obvious) and we could fix me up right quick like. No dice. Currently, I am doing laundry (requires little energy - not folding it - Thanks Mom! and when are you coming back?) and thinking about what to feed myself for dinner. Maybe I will take some medicine and see if I can suffer through the grocery store...

the low down.

After a dramatic week of doctors visits, I have seen my fair share of different doctors and sadly, still don't have a resolution but know - in faith - that one is surely coming. In the past week and a half, I have seen my regular doctor, the nurse practitioner at my regular office, seen a general surgeon, been to the eye doctor to have the ole' eyeballs checked out, and finished up the week with a CT scan this morning. It has been a long week full of co-pays and questions and poking and squeezing and a few understandable tears. I have already heard back from my CT scan this A.M. and it came back "normal" so that is fabulous, wonderful good news - and always what you want to hear, that there isn't something funky going on in your head. However, frankly it does not help with a diagnosis of the 11 day headache so while I am immensely thankful for a "clean bill of health" on the head scan, I really need some answers. I have an appointment with the neurologist on April 11st (unless I can convince them to squeeze me in sooner for a cancellation) so that is my next best option for results. Please continue to pray that he will be patient and have abounding wisdom for treating what is going on in my head! Best news I've gotten all week?? I have 20/25 vision and don't need glasses - not even really for reading - I just have dry eyes and it might help my head to keep them moist! woohoo!